Reeds used in single-reed instruments, such as clarinets, are usually manufactured from cane obtained from the Arundo donax plant. There is considerable variance in the sound quality, longevity and general “playability” among individual reeds. The internal physical structure of each reed is unique and marked by a myriad variations in size, vascular bundles, etc. Even within a package of reeds from a single manufacturer, a musician will typically find that no more than one or two reeds in a package of ten will possess satisfactory playing characteristics. Furthermore, all commercially manufactured reeds need to be redesigned by abrasion in order to improve tone quality and ease of playing.
The vamp portion of reeds designed for all single reed instruments has a parabolic shape. A device for abrading such reeds must be capable of the corrective parabolic design in order for the reed to perform at its maximum level of effectiveness.
Kume U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,583 relates to a device for honing a reed for a musical instrument, the device having a reed guide base and an adjusting spatula with a curved end portion and a file bonded thereto for adjusting the thickness of the reed. The effectiveness of a device of this type depends almost exclusively on the manual dexterity of the operator who must carefully hold and operate the spatula in a totally manual operation. Furthermore, a device of this type does not permit variation in transverse abrasion.
Armato U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,793 represents a considerable improvement in the reed abrasion process in that it makes it possible for commercially manufactured reeds to be abraded and shaped according to the individual needs of the player. The device there disclosed comprises a base having two longitudinally tapered ramps (tracks), and upper portion (carriage) slidable on the tapered ramps and bearing a substantially flat abrasive portion adjacent and spaced from the top surface of the base. The top surface contains guidelines for the placement of the reed to be abraded and, by appropriate placement of the reed on the top surface, abrasion can be accomplished to the individual desires of the musician. Although the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,793 was a great improvement in the art of abrading reeds, further improvements are desirable in order to provide for greater precision in redesigning the shape of the reed's parabolic design, thus allowing the reed to perform at its maximum.